Undershirt and similar garment.



H. H. CONDIT.

UNDERSHIRT AND SIMILAR GARMENT.

APPLICATION FILED sEPT. 1a, 1911.

Patented Oct. 28, 1913.

coLumam PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, D. c.

-* ITi ED STATES f PATENT orrrc HARRY H. CONDIT, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WALTER W. MOYER, OF EPI-IRATA, PENNSYLVANIA.

UNDERSHIRT AND SIMILAR GARMENT.

To all whom 2'25 may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. CONDIT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Undershirts and Similar Garments, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention has reference to the manufacture of womens undershirts and similar garments from the so-called tubular or cylindrical knitted fabric, and it comprehends, primarily, certain improvements in or relating to the shoulder straps with which such garments are provided, the object thereof being to insure the retention and proper fit of the garment about the shoulders of the wearer. This object is attained by cutting the fabric tube in such a manner as to produce shoulder straps, which are integral therewith, and connecting the rear lower ends of these straps by a strip of longitudinally-inelastic material secured to the horizontal rear edge of the neck opening, said edge being substantially. straight and disposed at right angles to the aforesaid straps. To the ends of the inelastic strip referred to are connected the rear ends of a pair of drawstrings which are led upwardly and over the shoulder straps, then downwardly and then inwardly toward each other, the free front ends of the strings being adapted to be tied together. The edging strip, by reason of its inelasticity, will extend straight across and fit close against the back 7 of the wearer of the garment and will obviate puckering of the garment at that point, the strip remaining set in position, as it were. \Vhen the drawstrings are tightened and tied together at the front of the garment, the pull exerted by them upon the shoulder straps will cause the latter to move slightly inward, in a more or less lateral direction, toward each other, the inelastic edging strip serving to prevent said straps from slipping or spreading. In brief, the entire construction above described is such as to insure perfect fit of the garment around the neck, shoulders and back of the wearer, and complete retention of the shoulder straps in place.

In the ordinary construction of knitted undergarment, on the other hand, the shoulder straps, in many instances, are not formed or produced on the blank itself, but are sepa- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 16, 1911.

Patented Oct. 28,1913. Serial No. 649,675.

rate attachments, usually in the nature of mere beading strips or gores which are fastened to the upper edge of the previouslyformed blank, the drawstrings being run through these strips. When tightened, the drawstrings cause the garment to stretch and pucker around the neck and shoulders of the wearer, particularly at the back, with out, however, retaining the shoulder straps in place, so that not only is the fit of the garment marred but the shoulder straps are continuously slipping, defects which are completely overcome by the inelastic rear edging strip and integral shoulder strap construction comprehended in the present construction.

An embodiment of the invention is illus trated in the accompanying drawing, whereof Figures 1 and 2 are fragmental plan views of the tubular or cylindrical blank after the same has been cut to form the garment, the blank being shown in Fig. 1 as folded, and in Fig. 2 as unfolded; Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, front and rear views of the finished garment; and Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The improved garment is made from a tube or cylinder of knitted fabric, of a size suitable therefor, preferably in the following manner: The aforesaid tube or cylinder, designated in the drawing by the numeral 1, is first folded longitudinally upon itself into the position depicted in Fig. 1, after which elongated approximately rectangular portions are cut away at the upper corners of the folded blank, as indicated by the nu merals 2 and 3, to form, respectively, the arm and neck openings, the narrow vertical portions 4 of the blank remaining constituting the halves or members of the shoulder straps 5. The length of the left-hand opening 2 is originally somewhat less than that of the right-hand opening, but is subsequently extended, so far as the outer or front folded part of the blank is concerned, to a point about on a line with the lower edge of the said right-hand opening, the opening in the inner or rear folded part being left untouched and producing, in consequence, the high-back effect in the finished garment. The edge of this back portion is approximately horizontal.

After having been cut as above described, the folded blank is opened out into the position shown in Fig. 2, the free ends of the shoulder strap halves 41-v then sewed together, and suitable longitudinally inelastic edging strips stitched to the edges of the various openings. The strips 6, that surround the two arm openings and the front and side edges of the neck opening, are in the nature of beading, a separate strip 7 being provided for the rear edge of the latter opening, which strip 7 is extended upwardly at its ends a slight distance along the inner edges of the shoulder straps and is secured at such points to the adjacent ends of the inner beading strips.

Through the beading strips is run a series of drawstrings 8 and 9,arranged in pairs as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The strings 8 surround the arm openings and their ends 8' are tied together at the front of the garment, in the usual manner. The other pair of strings are attached at their rear ends 9 to the ends of the edging strip 7, and are run up through the beading strips on the inner edges of the shoulder straps, then forwardly over and down said straps, and, finally, through the beading strip on the front edge of the neck opening to the center of said strip, after which the free ends 9 of said strings are crossed and subsequently tied together.

When the garment is in place on the wearer, and the drawstrings tightened, the shoulder straps will be held perfectly against slipping, this being due primarily to the provision of the strings 9 and the hori- Zontal inelastic strip 7 and to the arrangement of the said strings. On being tightened, the pull on said strings is lirst clirected forwardly, upward and over the shoulder straps, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. 3, 4; and 5, and as the tension on the strings is increased the straps themselves are drawn slightly inward, in a more or less lateral direction, toward each other, as is also indicatedby the arrows. Thus all tendency of the straps to slip down the shoulders is completely obviated. Moveover, the inelastic rear edging strip 7 will extend straight across and lit close against the back of the wearer of the garment, and, in consequence, will prevent the back of the garment from spreading or puckcring when. the strings 9 are tightened.

While a garment constructed as above described will properly fit the neck and shoulders of the wearer, and will remain in place, for the reasons aforementioned, it may be deemed advisable to further preelude elasticity of the garment across the back thereof, and avoid any tendency of the shoulder straps to slip. This may be effected by the addition of a reinforcing strap of tape, or other suitable material, which is indicated by the numeral 10 and is preferably arranged in the form of a \I. Said strap is stitched to the back of the garment directly below the edging strip 7 with the ends of its two branches or arms extending across the lower rear ends of the shoulder straps and secured to the outer beading strips thereon.

I claim as my invention:

An undershirt or similar garment constructed of tubular knitted fabric and provided with integral shoulder straps, and with arm and neck openings at opposite sides thereof, the rear edge of the neck opening being approximately horizontal; an edging strip of longitudinally inelastic material extending continuously along the said rear edge and directed upwardly at its ends along the inner edges of the rear portions of said straps, said strip being attached along one entire edge to said rear edge and said inner strap edges and being adapted to extend across and fit close against the back of the wearer of the garment by reason of its inelasticit and a pair of drawstrings secured at their rear ends to the upwardlydirected ends of said strip and led upwardly and over said straps, then downwardly and then inwardly toward each other, the free front ends of said strings being adapted to be tied together, whereby the pull exerted by said strings, when the same are tightened, upon said straps will cause the latter to move slightly inward toward each other, said strip serving to prevent said straps from slipping or spreading.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wit-- nesses.

HARRY H. CONDIT. lVitnesses HARRY M. PEARCE, WILL J. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents- Washington, D. C. 

